Nature Within - Cherish The Moment: March 2017

March Storms Coming In Like A Lion,

Going Out Like A Lamb.

After one week of 40-50 degrees weather at the end of February we Wisconites were not fooled.
March 1 held us in a grip of high winds, heavy snow, and some sleet. It was endless, so it seemed. All day it was so fierce even the birds didn't come to the feeders. Nightfall did not give us any relief. We went to bed and pulled up the blankets around our chins and listened to the wind howl.
But with all things they do eventually come to an end. Morning sunrise led us to beautiful views of winters designs on nature. Going from window to window I constantly clicked the camera. The giant blue Colorado Spruce behind our home on the hill we had planted 30 years ago were a sight to see!

Morning Doves were lined up waiting for the feeders to clear. Hundreds of
birds were flying in and out trying to get their share from our many feeders.

Memories of the snow pileling up the day before were now something beautiful. The fear of being snowed in for a day or two was now gone. The week before the warm high temperatures melted all the snow. What we saw was a dreary world of browns and grays. This bright and new day erased that memory.

The hill behind us was so beautiful! Trees and bushes coated with an icing
of many inches of snow.

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My gardens held a whole new enchanting, view.
The statue water fountain was almost buried. Rocks were covered in the Rock garden making it look mysterious.

Oh I love Wisconsin Winters!

Benches were covered, bird feeders were hiding their wares of seeds. The
sun did its own art designs with the shadow of the trees. The snow twinkled
like diamonds bringing a big smile to my lips.

The day before view of the lower gardens could hardly be seen. The snow carried in the high fast winds made my camera refuse to take a picture until I put it in the automatic sports setting which worked around the speed of snow flying and finely snapped clear pictures. This picture you can barely see Dick in a red jacket going down to check horses and chickens being held captives in the closed up barn and coop. He fed and gave them fresh water for the night. When you have animals there is no skipping chores but an obligation to make them comfortable and clean besides feeding them.

This view is the top of area in the upper gardens. Part of the deck in front
is a gate made from a baby's antique metal bed protecting grand kids from
falling down the steep edge of the Rock Garden next to our home. A
heated birdbath offers fresh water at all times in the winter.
In back view of picture shows black spruce in the third
upper garden. There are three large gardens in the upper area
of hill. They are planted with many shrubs and trees for nature.

Birds seem to know their place in line. There are very few squabbles among them.
Chickadees, finches, Jays, Cardinals are always present. Nuthatches and woodpeckers
are less often. I see them more on the suit we provide in the metal baskets under large feeder.
In above pictures it shows the big flocks come, probably because they did not feed all day in the storm.

You can see the black decorative metal horse above the arbor showing it is pointed North East. Then we know we are in for a big storm. The birds seem to sense this and will be at the feeders early and in flocks. The next day they will also come in flocks after the storm has receded .
We only feed sunflowers and thistle. The finches and even Chickadees will hang as a group on the thistle feeder, the larger birds like Cardinals, Jays, usually share with some birds. Like the Mourning Doves will be seen with all different birds. We have learnt over the years that using only Sunflower seeds in the big feeder keep the starlings away. The Junco birds are usually in flocks and are ground feeders. Cardinals will also eat things that fell to the ground. There are always waisted seeds that the squirrels will clean up.